Signal checks…

I was reading an article in the Associated Press a while back (sadly I don’t remember the author).  It was discussing the relationship between manager and subordinate.  This coaching point for subordinates caught my eye: 

You can suggest a quick check-in at any point, if you’re unsure how to prioritize long-term goals or short-term deadlines. 

True enough.  Reaching out to your manager is obvious when you need direction.  In my experience (as both a manager and a subordinate) there are many more opportunities for good, open communications than just when one is “unsure”. 

In the same article, Dr. Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week, suggested: 

Managing upwards is going to make your life easier.  Don’t assume that management has all the answers.  They’re probably just as lost. 

Well OK… but… I had a higher opinion of my manager than being “just as lost”.  (Hopefully, my subordinates thought of me in a positive light, also.)  We don’t want our managers going overboard – or be afraid: 

Your manager is held accountable for your performance, which is inherently frightening, and the way he alleviates this fear is to exert some form of control over what you do, normally by telling you how you should do your work. 

Marcus Buckingham

Best to seek a happy medium.  I like to think of communicating with my manager more in the context of business courtesy.  Like us, managers are busy.  Expecting them to be on top of every detail for every direct report all of the time is unrealistic.  Whether I was the manager or the subordinate, a brief and frequent “signal check” helped ensure we were both in sync. 

I didn’t know this; I learned this from my friend, colleague, and former direct report, Nick Ryder.  One year when Nick was available, I snatched him up for my sales team.  He was the epitome of “over qualified”.  Even so, he told me he would operate by the principle, “No surprises.”  Whether good news; bad news; or no news; Nick would “check in” with me almost every day.  He never wanted me to think, “I wonder what Nick is doing?”  Lesson learned. 

Several years later I found myself working for a particularly challenging boss, Brian Enright.  Brian was challenging (A) because he was smart, and (B) he didn’t suffer fools.  If you didn’t bring you’re A-Game, he was quick to let you know about it.  There were many times I found myself in a phone conversation and I’d have to hit the mute button to say, “Dammit, he got me again!” 

Brian’s expectation for excellence scared many of his other direct reports away.  They’d avoid interaction with him for fear of being dressed down.  That’s when I remembered my friend Nick Ryder and his principle of “No surprises”.  I reached out to Brian frequently, in some cases daily, for a quick “signal check”.  I never wanted him to think, “I wonder what Gary is doing today?” 

That signal check process evolved into a great friendship with my demanding boss.  I still enjoy checking in with him periodically to this day.  Turns out neither of us are “lost”. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Wordsmithing…

As artificial intelligence continues down its path towards dominating our daily lives, it has me wondering about the future of wordsmithing.  I mean, “Artificial Intelligence”?  That’s the best the technologists and their machines could come up with?  Seems to me a little wordsmithing is in order.  “Galactical Intelligence”; “Towering Intellect”; “Noble Astuteness”; these are just a few, wordsmithed versions for A.I. that come to mind.  What are your ideas?  Are you a wordsmith?

According to definitions from Oxford Languages, the world’s leading dictionary publisher: 

Wordsmith:  a skilled user of words 

One of the first applications of AI has been writing - emails; reports; etc.  I’m told, machines are studying mankind in order to gain their writing intelligence.  That makes me nervous, too based on this from our favorite, Unknown Sage: 

Rules for Good Riting 

·         Just between you and i, case is important.

·         Verbs has to agree with their subject.

·         Watch out for irregular verbs which has cropped up into our language.

·         Don't use no double negatives.

·         When dangling, don't use participles.

·         Join clauses good like a conjunction should.

·         And don't use conjunctions to start sentences.

·         Don't use a run-on sentence you got to punctuate it.

·         In letters themes reports articles and stuff like that we use commas to keep strings apart.

·         Don't use commas, which aren't necessary.

·         Its important to use apostrophe's right.

·         Don't abbrev.

·         Check to see if you any words out.

·         In my opinion I think that the author when he is writing should not get into the habit of making use of too many unnecessary words which he does not really need.

·         Then, of course, there's that old one: Never use a preposition to end a sentence with.

·         Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague. 

Now you might be thinking, “Gary, it’s just words.”  Well OK but, let’s remember the impact our choice of words can have.  Like this tale of two monks that I’ve shared before: 

Two monks were meeting in the hall.  "Good day, Brother John.  You look a bit down in the mouth."  "Yes, Brother Mark.  I just asked the Bishop if it was alright to smoke while I prayed, and he said, ‘Absolutely not!"  "That is interesting, Brother John, because just yesterday I asked the Bishop if it was alright to pray while I smoked, and he said, ‘Sure." 

Harlan Goehger 

So before I take up smoking again, I simply hope Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Generative A.I. get their collective intelligences together and give mankind a better outcome; like what we got with… say… artificial sweeteners (wordsmithed to “Splenda”); artificial food coloring Yellow 6 (wordsmithed to “Sunset Yellow”); or maybe artificial bacon.  (It’s bacon – not everything needs wordsmithing, true?) 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Discontent; disappointment; failure

Not much positivity in that headline.  Comes as part of life, I suppose.  We all have our ups and downs.  Keeping score or trying to compare to others is a waste of effort.  Besides, how can we really tell what’s going on with said others? 

Because I carry it well doesn’t mean it’s not heavy. 

Unknown Sage on Social Media 

What do you do when faced with life’s “downs”?  Like the above example, research suggests people are increasingly turning to social media and AI for support.  I must admit, I’m finding a lot of posts on social media these days that are uplifting.  That is, after sifting through those “other” kinds of posts, know what I mean?  Here’s a recent example that resonated with me, did you see it too? 

Do you turn to God when life has you in troubled waters?  I must admit turning to social media and/or the machines makes me worry if people now believe Friedrich Nietzsche, was right: 

God is dead.  God remains dead.  And we have killed him. 

Nietzsche was/still is a famous 19^th century philosopher whose work is known for irony and critiques of many things including religion.  Provocative, yes?  When faced with such provocation, I turned to the machines and found this: 

"Provocativeness" is a word. It's a noun that refers to the quality or characteristic of being provocative, which means tending to provoke or incite, often with a negative connotation. 

                   AI 

The “negative connotation” part gives me pause.  I prefer to believe provocativeness enables us to check-in with ourself and reinforce our fundamental - positive - convictions.  Nietzsche might be proud of the irony; negative inputs provoking our ability to find positivity.  He’s not alone: 

It's not what happens that matters.  It's how you respond. 

Urban Meyer 

I know social media and AI are part of our world now.  I’m trying to keep an open mind about their positive possibilities.  But to help equip me when facing the machines I prefer to keep God (and positivity) in my life even when life is a “bear”.  Back to the Google machine: 

Bears are a bold spiritual symbol of strength, courage, protection, and healing.  They can represent family and motherhood, in addition to renewal and solitude.  Bears have appeared in mythological traditions worldwide, from Native American and Norse to Celtic and Slavic tales. 

“… strength, courage, protection, and healing …” powerful positivity in the face of discontent; disappointment; or failure, true? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Debt…

Now there’s a dirty word, true?  Lots of consternation these days about debt of various kinds; credit card debt; student loan debt; our country’s national debt.  Why is it debt is so easy to get into and so hard to get out of?

I read recently that the younger generation is saving in their 401k accounts at record levels.  Pessimism over social security perhaps?  Pessimism, criticism, blaming the federal government for over-spending.  That’s nothing new.  Senator Everett Dirkson from my home state of Illinois and Minority Leader of the United States Senate from 1959–1969, famously said: 

A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. 

There’s always lots of rhetoric when it comes to spending, taxes, and the economy, yes?  Today’s headlines are nothing new.  Nor is it limited to the United States’ government.  It was once reported of Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister: 

The opponents had asked for six ships.  The 'economists' tried to hold out for four.  And the result on the 'compromise' was eight. 

Roy Jenkins 

OK, we all know it’s hard to balance the budget.  Lord knows our federal government has been fighting, and losing, that battle since the George Bush, Bill Clinton era.  Even then the explanation and credit assigned to the appropriate person(s) was vigorously debated. 

As I understand it, the current Administration’s thinking is to cut taxes, increase defense spending, and rely on tariffs to make up the difference.  It reminds me of the 1980s and Ronald Reagan’s administration.  Reagan was counting on “trickle down economics” vs. tariffs to balance the budget.  The “trickle down” phrase is nothing new either.  It is credited to Will Rogers during the 1930’s Great Depression.  Reagan thought that was a good idea fifty years later? 

Every time history repeats itself the price goes up. 

Joseph A. Tainter 

Well, here we are again repeating history and dealing with debt.  Sadly, the price increase of history is not tax deductible. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.